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Podcasts – Steven Benedict

By Steven Benedict

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Each week, Steven Benedict chooses a well known and celebrated film and steps inside its story to see how it works.
Focusing on the techniques used by directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, composers, set and costume
designers, he examines how the film tells the story in a uniquely cinematic way. Benedict's podcasts are a must for
anyone who is interested in film; film buffs, filmmakers, film students and film lecturers alike.

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1

CleanMishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Films about writers are tricky propositions but you can roughly divide the genre into two eras; pre- and post-Mishima.
The post Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Many audiences complain that Daniel Plainview is unlikable. But where is it written that characters have to be likeable? Characters only have to be interesting.
The post There Will Be Blood appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Fairytales transcend not just generations but cultures. Which may explain why La Belle et la Bête exists in so many guises and confronts so many issues.
The post La Belle et la Bête appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When a film breaks with tradition, it is often rejected by audiences. Which may be why Zodiac was not initially recognised as the groundbreaking masterpiece it is.
The post Zodiac appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Intersectionality, hyperlink cinema and cinema diaspora are just some of the terms you can apply to Monsoon Wedding. Another is the #MeTooMovement.
The post Monsoon Wedding appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Joel and Ethan Coen never make it easy for the characters, sometimes pitting them against forces of nature. But Llewyn Davis is faced with a uniquely historical storm.
The post Inside Llewyn Davis appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Godfather Part II is less a sequel and more a film that wraps itself around the first film, leaving Michael Corleone haunted by the memory of his dead father.
The post The Godfather Part II appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Long before it was revered as a masterpiece, F.W. Murnau's radical reimagining of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel had to be saved from the furnaces.
The post Nosferatu appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Regarded as the greatest gangster picture of them all, the passing years continue to reveal new layers and meanings in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece.
The post The Godfather appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Pather Panchali translates into English as Song of the Road, but the production was so arduous and fortuitous it should be called Song of Miracles.
The post Pather Panchali appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Upon its release, Munich was attacked for historical inaccuracy, political naivety and moral equivalency. But it is one of Spielberg's greatest works.
The post Munich appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alfonso Cuarón's drug fuelled tale of two oversexed youths and an older woman on a road trip in search of a mythical beach results in a thesis on social connectivity.
The post Y Tu Mamá También appeared first on Steven Benedict.

While most audiences only remember John Travolta in his white suit, Saturday Night Fever also features misogyny, racism, homophobia and gang rape.
The post Saturday Night Fever appeared first on Steven Benedict.

As the title to Edward Yang's masterpiece indicates, Yi Yi is a series of doubles; narrative, thematic, visual and aural, that deliver a subtle family portrait.
The post Yi Yi appeared first on Steven Benedict.

What makes a classic film? The plot’s originality, director’s vision, or the star’s magnetism? Paradoxically, any, all, yet none of the above. It's the audience.
The post Die Hard appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Cries and Whispers was Ingmar Bergman's fourth colour film but with a palette of just black, white and red, he still painted deep emotions and vivid dreams.
The post Cries and Whispers appeared first on Steven Benedict.

For all of 2001's groundbreaking special effects and narrative innovation, Stanley Kubrick owes a bit of debt to a romantic fantasy and a Soviet propaganda film.
The post 2001: A Space Odyssey appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Sergei Eisenstein devised montage for black and white and silent film. How have the elements of sound, colour and digital cinema extended his theories?
The post Battleship Potemkin appeared first on Steven Benedict.

First seen as an eviscerating critique of Thatcherism, 30 years on it belongs with the MeToo and Time's Up movements.
The post The Cook the Thief his Wife & her Lover appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Released in 1971, critics bracketed Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller as a revisionist western. Truth is, the western has always been revising itself.
The post McCabe & Mrs. Miller appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Often called the greatest thriller Hitchcock never made, Les Diaboliques is based on a book written to catch the attention of the Master of Suspense.
The post Les Diaboliques appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Reviled upon its release and long out of circulation, the influence of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom is now to be found in the most unexpected places.
The post Peeping Tom appeared first on Steven Benedict.

There has never been a more iconic and influential hairstyle in all of cinema than 'the black helmet' sported by Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box.
The post Pandora’s Box appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom may star, yet it is Katie Johnson who gives one of cinema's greatest ever comedic performances.
The post The Ladykillers (1955) appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Precious few films celebrate the joys of riding a bike. Haifaa Al Mansour's Wadjda is more than just a celebration; it is a dissection of an entire culture.
The post Wadjda appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Upon its release, it seemed that Easy Rider typified the spirit of the nineteen-sixties. But it really should be viewed as the first film of the seventies.
The post Easy Rider appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Many films enjoy exaggerated reputations, but it is almost impossible to underestimate the beauty, truth and importance of Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves.
The post Bicycle Thieves appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Originally titled A Girl, a Photographer and a Beautiful April Morning, Michelangelo Antonioni's Palme d'Or winner is still as enigmatic fifty years on.
The post Blowup appeared first on Steven Benedict.

William Shakespeare, Sigmund Freud, Ingmar Bergman and John Cassavetes are just some of the disparate influences on view in Thomas Vinterberg's masterpiece.
The post Festen appeared first on Steven Benedict.

We are told we watch horror films because they offer a vicariously thrilling, and thus safe experience. I don’t believe that. I believe horror films are instructive.
The post Alien appeared first on Steven Benedict.

David Cronenberg's adaptation of George Langelaan's short story is appropriately, a fusion of Icarus, Prometheus, Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast.
The post The Fly (1986) appeared first on Steven Benedict.

While Paolo Sorrentino’s film follows in the footsteps of Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, its quest arrives at a very surprising answer.
The post The Great Beauty appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Un Chien Andalou is barely seventeen minutes long, features mutilation, dismemberment and lots of insects. Yet, it is one of the most influential films ever made.
The post Un Chien Andalou appeared first on Steven Benedict.

In ancient Greece, all violence took place off stage. How can filmmakers show the violence of the Holocaust without exploiting the memory of the victims?
The post Ida appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel is still relevant today because the Ludovico Technique is conversion therapy: Pray Away The Gay.
The post A Clockwork Orange appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Released in 1950, Max Ophuls' adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's scandalous play is a landmark exhibition of theme and style operating in perfect harmony.
The post La Ronde appeared first on Steven Benedict.

For thousands of years, drama theorists from Aristotle to Robert McKee have been telling writers that plot is everything. But is that all there is to drama?
The post Does Plot Matter? appeared first on Steven Benedict.

In adapting Karen Blixen's short story, Gabriel Axel chose to omit the politics and focus on the religious parable. But really, it works best as a recipe for life.
The post Babette’s Feast appeared first on Steven Benedict.

This hit from 1944 delivered one of the all-time classic Yuletide songs - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - as well as redefined the musical genre.
The post Meet Me in St. Louis appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The impact of Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece is so great that it extends far beyond cinema and into terrorist organisations, as well as the US Pentagon.
The post The Battle of Algiers appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Long thought to be a satire on bourgeoise marriage, Luis Buñuel's masterpiece is really a study of the traumas suffered by a sexual assault victim.
The post Belle de Jour appeared first on Steven Benedict.

All countries have troubled histories they would rather forget. The Leopard is a masterpiece that admits to those troubles as well as the failure to fix them.
The post The Leopard appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Taxi Driver was written in ten days by first-time screenwriter, Paul Schrader as a means to exorcise his festering, masochistic, narcissistic anger.
The post Taxi Driver appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The influence of Fritz Lang's Metropolis extends far beyond sci-fi and can be seen in films are varied as Casablanca, An American in Paris and The Birds.
The post Metropolis appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Is Hitchcock's Vertigo really the greatest film ever made? Certainly, it is a compilation of his many themes and tropes, as well as a critique on cinema itself.
The post Vertigo appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Reviled and banned upon its release, then seemingly destroyed and lost forever, Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game stands today as a victory for liberalism.
The post The Rules of the Game appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Are classics always instantly recognized? If ever there were proof that critics cannot assess a film’s merits on a single viewing, it is Ridley Scott's masterpiece.
The post Blade Runner appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When we think of American cinema in the seventies, all too often we all too quickly think of the great directors. But what of the cinematograph-auteurs?
The post Deliverance appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Francois Truffaut created the auteur theory, and with Day for Night he delivered a tribute to the art form without which he felt his life could not make sense.
The post Day for Night appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The plot to Miller's Crossing is so complex, it's hard to even figure out where and when it is set. And that's before we discuss the meaning of Tom Reagan's hat.
The post Miller’s Crossing appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Fellini's masterpiece is often described as a film about not being able to make a film. But really it is about responsibility, liability, lying, loving and living.
The post 8 1/2 appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When great art heralds great change, it often experiences a difficult birth. Bonnie and Clyde is a seminal moment in American film that almost never happened.
The post Bonnie and Clyde appeared first on Steven Benedict.

All boring films are alike; every great film is great in its own way. Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk belongs not just to the latter but amongst the greatest ever made.
The post Dunkirk appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Oscar-winning Thelma & Louise was released in 1991 to a storm of controversy. Did it warrant it then and does it hold up to scrutiny now?
The post Thelma & Louise appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Despite being labelled fascist and an insult to Britain, if... won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1969. Almost half a century later, it still retains much of its power.
The post if…. appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Why did French playwright, Edmond Rostand base his play on a real-life historical figure and then choose to turn his writing talent into a tragedy?
The post Cyrano de Bergerac appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale has been described as timely. But there is only one time to tell it: right now. Which means always.
The post The Handmaid’s Tale appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Terrence Malick's first feature is not just one of the greatest debuts in the history of American cinema, Badlands also succeeded in redirecting screen violence.
The post Badlands appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari's influence is so great it reaches far beyond horror and into sci-fi, thrillers, and historical romances.
The post The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari appeared first on Steven Benedict.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas was an avant-garde filmmaker whose sole interest was in making highly experimental short films.
The post THX-1138 appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Animation is not a genre, and not all cartoons are for children. So how did Hayao Miyazaki deliver a classic family film with so much adult content?
The post Spirited Away appeared first on Steven Benedict.

It is incorrectly assumed that Steven Spielberg turned Stanley Kubrick's dark story into another of his child-friendly fantasies.
The post A.I.: Artificial Intelligence appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece is so influential, even if you haven't seen it... you have seen it because you've seen dozens of films influenced by it.
The post Le Samouraï appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Before it was adapted into a film, Cabaret was a memoir, a short story, a play and a Broadway musical. Released in 1972, it now serves as a history lesson.
The post Cabaret appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If you need three things to make a good film; a good script, a good script and a good script, how did Nicolas Roeg make a masterpiece from just fourteen pages?
The post Walkabout appeared first on Steven Benedict.

David Lean's most enduring masterpiece is the rarest of breeds. An epic that is also a portrait, it somehow avoids all temptations to explain its enigmatic subject.
The post Lawrence of Arabia appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Once considered avant-garde, slow-motion is now the mainstay of every action film. Here are some of the best and most innovative uses of the technique.
The post Slow-Motion appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Once dismissed as The King of Kitsch, Pedro Almodovar has since become a laureate of liberalism. This masterpiece from 1999 was the turning point.
The post All About My Mother appeared first on Steven Benedict.

All films begin at a keyboard. But whether the film is about screenwriters, journalists, novelists or composers, how does cinema depict the art of writing?
The post Writers appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Ernest Hemingway hated what Hollywood did with his novels. The only film of his work he liked was this classic adaptation of his celebrated short story.
The post The Killers (1946) appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If the dream sequence is a crutch for many dull thrillers, horrors and mysteries, what makes a good one? One that challenges and stretches cinematic language.
The post Dreams appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Orson Welles is often referred to as a glistening talent who wasted his early promise. Touch of Evil, the last film he made in America, proves otherwise.
The post Touch of Evil appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Best known for his crime dramas, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's romantic novel, The Age of Innocence is one of his most incisive works.
The post The Age of Innocence appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Is Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy only about liberty, equality and fraternity? Look again and you'll find it also addresses fate, coincidence and co-existence.
The post Three Colors appeared first on Steven Benedict.

On the surface Yasujiro Ozu's examination of family life in post-war Japan may sound simple, but what he delivered is one of cinema's supreme achievements.
The post Tokyo Story appeared first on Steven Benedict.

John Huston's film of Dashiell Hammett's classic novel was the third adaptation of the hard-boiled mystery. How did he succeed where others had failed?
The post The Maltese Falcon appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Few films are as layered as The Conformist. But whether you see it as an exercise in style, character study, or philosophical thesis, it's a flat out masterpiece.
The post The Conformist appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Robert Altman's best films capture cultures in transition. Nashville marked the moment politics and celebrity intermingled to create space for Donald Trump.
The post Nashville appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Like many other cult classics, the French thriller Diva was almost still born. Rejected by the French critics and public, it only got a second lease of life in the US.
The post Diva appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Guillermo del Toro says he is "in love with monsters." In Pan's Labyrinth, set in the Spanish Civil War, he uses them to navigate history and the world.
The post Pan’s Labyrinth appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Science-fiction sometimes predicts the future. Released a decade ago, Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men grows more prophetic as the years go by.
The post Children of Men appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Adapted from Paolo Lin's non-fiction novel, director Fernando Meirelles cast non-actors to capture life, death and everything in-between in Rio's favelas.
The post City of God appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Like the novel on which it is based, Revolutionary Road so honestly probed its subject audiences stayed away. Their loss. It is Sam Mendes' best film.
The post Revolutionary Road appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Orson Welles was one of cinema's true geniuses but was he correct in claiming that two things cinema couldn't honestly depict were prayer and sex?
The post Cinema Sex appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Beauty, Gangster, Hustle, Psycho, Sniper. With so many films using "American" in their title, is the appellation not in danger of losing its significance?
The post American … What? appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Chodleros De Laclos’ novel has inspired plays, operas, ballets and several films. But none can match the debauched panache of Stephen Frears’ interpretation.
The post Dangerous Liaisons appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If writers are told to write from experience, is Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Susan Orlean's non-fiction book not really Kaufman's autobiography?
The post Adaptation. appeared first on Steven Benedict.

William Friedkin's Oscar-winner may be a gritty thriller but it owes an enormous debt to a classic of 19th century American literature.
The post The French Connection appeared first on Steven Benedict.

"Show me the money." "Shut up, you had me at hello." For such a quotable film, Jerry Maguire's most important line is "Fewer clients. Less money."
The post Jerry Maguire appeared first on Steven Benedict.

We like to think of ourselves as modern and sophisticated, but is the humour of Blazing Saddles too outrageous for anyone in Hollywood to make it today?
The post Blazing Saddles appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When released in 1996, Fargo was seen as the Coen brothers' breakthrough film. As the years roll by it has increasingly become a lynch pin in their canon.
The post Fargo appeared first on Steven Benedict.

While cinema has a moral duty to bear witness to history, the problem is that to witness something you have to see it. How can you show the Holocaust?
The post Son of Saul appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Francis Ford Coppola’s radical adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella is one of the most astonishing achievements in the entire history of cinema.
The post Apocalypse Now appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Mention Se7en and chances are talk will lead to the head in the box. But while that makes the ending so unforgettable, it’s also the film's biggest problem.
The post Se7en appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Critics often chide Steven Spielberg for inappropriate optimism and not knowing when to end his films. They should reconsider Minority Report.
The post Minority Report appeared first on Steven Benedict.

James Cameron took a risk in tackling a sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien. But his follow-up added other elements to the sci-fi/horror: action, adventure and all out war.
The post Aliens appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Emily Brontë's classic romance has been filmed over 25 times. Have any been faithful? Where is the line between interpretation and desecration?
The post Wuthering Heights appeared first on Steven Benedict.

GoodFellas is more than just a breathless tale of middle-management in the Mafia. It's one of Martin Scorsese’s many films in which he seeks enlightenment.
The post GoodFellas appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Humanity has been blighted with massacres since Biblical times, but the word genocide was not coined until 1944. How has cinema faired in depicting it?
The post Genocide in cinema appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust or The Thin White Duke. Who was David Bowie is the wrong question to ask. Much better to ponder on what he made and why.
The post David Bowie appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Spotlight is more than just an investigation into the child abuse scandals that riddled Boston's Archdiocese. It is an examination of the institutions you and I create.
The post Spotlight appeared first on Steven Benedict.

David Lynch's work is widely misunderstood. To classify him as a surrealist misses the point. The Elephant Man proved he is a great humanist.
The post The Elephant Man appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Once dismissed as parochial and passé, the influence of David Lean's classic can be seen in such unlikely places as The Third Man, The Godfather and Carol.
The post Brief Encounter appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The King's Speech is about two men talking, yet the film’s real strength lies in the way it uses sound to tell us one thing while the pictures show us another.
The post The King’s Speech appeared first on Steven Benedict.

How do you make a film relating your experiences of the Islamic Revolution in Iran? If you're Marjane Satrapi you use animation to tackle the subject.
The post Persepolis appeared first on Steven Benedict.

It may have been controversial when it was released twenty years ago, but if ever there were a need for such a film it is right now.
The post The People vs. Larry Flynt appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Divorce is traumatic enough without Hollywood feeling the need to laugh at it. But Danny DeVito's deliciously dark comedy brought career highs from his cast.
The post The War of the Roses appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When a filmmaker enters the realm of autobiography, the result is all too often soaked in nostalgia. Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I is fermented in fine wine.
The post Withnail and I appeared first on Steven Benedict.

He was called The Master of Suspense (a title he coined himself), but for all the thrills did Alfred Hitchcock not make rom-coms wrapped inside mysteries?
The post Rear Window appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Jonathan Glazer's film is one of the most assured debuts in cinema history. But the film has another entrance that also stands with the best of them.
The post Sexy Beast appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When it comes to America's military intervention in South East Asia, David Puttnam's Oscar winner is the anomaly. Less a war picture, it's more a love story.
The post The Killing Fields appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Is it possible to put a new twist on a formula as old as the rom-com? Getting Amy Schumer to write the script and Judd Apatow to direct certainly gives you a head start.
The post Trainwreck appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Inside Out may reveal the the emotional turmoil going on within a young girl's mind, but a closer look will show you the secret workings inside Pixar Studios.
The post Inside Out appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Whether it be theatre, film or TV, all stories need good plots and performances. But what elevated True Detective Season 1 to the status of classic was its structure.
The post True Detective appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Until 1964, Stanley Kubrick had suffered years of set-backs, disappointments and frustration. But he made his reputation with this satire on nuclear war.
The post Dr. Strangelove appeared first on Steven Benedict.

With content pretty much always the same, what elevates one concert movie above others is not just the quality of the music, it is also the film’s form.
The post The Concert Film appeared first on Steven Benedict.

With six Oscars, five WGAs, a DGA and the Palme d'Or, Billy Wilder’s career was so blazing you’d be forgiven for saying, “Well, somebody’s perfect.”
The post The Apartment appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If jazz really is the authentic American art form, why are there so few great jazz movies? No matter, at least there are dozens of great jazz soundtracks.
The post Jazz in Film appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Christopher Nolan's time-warping mind-bending classic left many audiences very confused. But the director left more than enough clues to make sense of it.
The post Memento appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Most action films are fuelled by testosterone. But Fury Road has so much estrogen coursing through its engines, it could be called Mad Maxine.
The post Mad Max: Fury Road appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Peter Bogdanovich was New York born and bred, so how did he manage to direct a masterpiece set in small town Texas when he had never set foot in the state?
The post The Last Picture Show appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Some of the best films have so much plot they are very difficult to sum up. Others give you too little. Barry Levinson's classic serves you french fries and gravy.
The post Diner appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Searchers is both a cinematic monument and an extremely unsettling depiction of the racism that lies at the heart of America's own mythology.
The post The Searchers appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Repulsion was Roman Polanski's first film he made after defecting from communist Poland. Its depiction of mental disintegration is also his first masterpiece.
The post Repulsion appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When Paddy Chayefsky set out to write Network, his aim was to satirise the medium that had given him his start. What he gave cinema was a tragic opera.
The post Network appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Earning 5 Oscar nominations and $600m around the globe, the success (and controversy) of Fatal Attraction should be squarely laid at the feet of its producers.
The post Fatal Attraction appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Clint Eastwood's latest film has earned 6 Oscar nominations and is breaking box-office records. But does it deserve all the controversy it is generating?
The post American Sniper appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The publicity will tell you that Foxcatcher is about wrestling. But like all great directors, Bennett Miller uses his subject as a metaphor for something else.
The post Foxcatcher appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alejandro Iñárritu's brilliant new film pretends to be about an actor trying to escape his comic-book alter ego. But really it's about our need to escape our own egos.
The post Birdman appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Joan Crawford's portrayal of martyred mother Mildred Pierce is the stuff of legend. It not only won her an Oscar but provided her with a career defining role.
The post Mildred Pierce appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If you want to change television, stop people watching it. That is just one of the many tricks behind this great adaptation of Michael Dobbs's best-selling novels.
The post House of Cards appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Although Wim Wenders' picture won the Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, a lot of American critics thought little of it. Has time proven them wrong?
The post Paris, Texas appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Without question, Mike Nichols was one of America's most feted entertainers. But how did he manage to break new ground and tell such compelling stories?
The post Mike Nichols appeared first on Steven Benedict.

In a career featuring several masterpieces, Raging Bull is considered Martin Scorsese's greatest achievement. But what did he achieve in making it?
The post Raging Bull appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Out of Sight is about second chances and it helped the three main players; Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez to relaunch their careers.
The post Out of Sight appeared first on Steven Benedict.

It took Jonathan Glazer over ten years to bring Under the Skin to the screen, but with that long gestation he might just have delivered the film of the decade.
The post Under The Skin appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Adapted from Gillian Flynn's best-selling thriller, David Fincher's film keeps its most surprising twist until the final shot. And it's not what you think.
The post Gone Girl appeared first on Steven Benedict.

You can divide Hollywood rom-coms into two eras; before and after Annie Hall. The film also marked the arrival of one of America's most individual artists.
The post Annie Hall appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Just how long does it take to write an Oscar-winning screenplay? In the case of Witness, it was 13 years. But how many drafts did it take and how many writers?
The post Witness appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote Good Will Hunting to forward their acting careers. But the studio wanted Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt instead.
The post Good Will Hunting appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When it was released, Fight Club was rubbished by critics and rejected by audiences. Now it's regarded as a masterpiece. So what changed people's minds?
The post Fight Club appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Robin Williams was a force of nature the likes of which cinema had never seen. But what drove him to those incredible heights and then to the ultimate depth?
The post Robin Williams appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Neil Jordan won an Oscar for his script, but only after every studio had turned him down saying his story was uncommercial, offensive and the characters unsympathetic.
The post The Crying Game appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Belonging to a tradition that dates back to Rebel Without a Cause, Richard Linklater's early masterpiece also owes some debt of gratitude to Robert Altman.
The post Dazed and Confused appeared first on Steven Benedict.

20 years after its release, it is startling to see how original Pulp Fiction still is. Ironic considering it was inspired by and borrowed from so many other films.
The post Pulp Fiction appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Heaven's Gate was such a flop, it sank a studio. But in the years since its release, its reputation has been growing. Is it the masterpiece some people claim?
The post Heaven’s Gate appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist. Is this film just another trick, or is it really the greatest heist movie ever made?
The post The Usual Suspects appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Is this film about amnesia or is it about déjà vu? Either way, Charlie Kaufman's script which focuses on memory is a true original.
The post Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Based on Jim Thompson's grimey story about smalltime criminals, Stephen Frears' film was robbed when it didn't win a single Oscar from its four nominations.
The post The Grifters appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Most movies about moviemaking are trite tributes not just to cinema but also the filmmakers. Are there any that go beyond the superficiliaty of the silver screen?
The post Movies about Movies appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The youngest ever winner of the Palme d'Or at the age of 26, Steven Soderbergh declared "Well, I guess it's all downhill from here." How wrong he was.
The post Steven Soderbergh appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Gravity was one of last year's biggest hits ($650m). But how much of that is due to critics giving it 98% approval? Is word of mouth more valuable?
The post Critics or Crickets appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Lyrical language and elliptical plotting can work in a novel, but don't necessarily make for good films. Does The English Patient succeed?
The post The English Patient appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for The Social Network is lauded as dazzling. But a screenplay is more than dialogue, and that's what makes Sorkin's work so great.
The post The Social Network appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Because it beat Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan to the Best Picture Oscar, a lot of people don't like this romantic-comedy. Is their prejudice justified?
The post Shakespeare in Love appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Oliver Stone's JFK was lambasted by both the political left and right for its factual inaccuracies. But since very few can agree on the facts, is it a good movie?
The post JFK appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If it was originally called The Man Who Came To Play and took place in a Las Vegas casino, how did the story end up taking place in Vietnam during the war?
The post The Deer Hunter appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Originally called The Bride and The Wolf, Moonstruck is as much about irritability, irrationality and mortality as it is about romance. Is that what makes it so good?
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Producer Irwin Yablans originally called it The Baby-Sitter Murders, and put up $325,000. Under John Carpenter's direction, Halloween made over $70m.
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The Truman Show may credit its story as an original screenplay, but it is uncannily similar to several sci-fi TV shows from as far back as the 60s.
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With Steve McQueen in the title role, a legendary car-chase and a score by Lalo Schifrin, Peter Yates' Bullitt still oozes as much cool now as it did in 1968.
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Great filmmakers have recurring themes and styles, but Anderson is unique because he continually explores new themes and styles.
The post The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Akin to a 70s' conspiracy thriller, Michael Clayton is also a character study with strong turns from George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson.
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The studios didn't like the script and no one wanted to play the heroic Treasury Agent, Eliot Ness. So how did The Untouchables turn out to be such a success?
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Regarded as a poet of cinema, Terrence Malick's films have rarely connected with audiences. Has he been ahead of his time or is he now running out of it?
The post Days of Heaven appeared first on Steven Benedict.

How do you cast a movie star in a story about a Princess who does not want to be a Princess? You cast an unknown. Ladies and Gentlemen, Audrey Hepburn.
The post Roman Holiday appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Ian McEwan's novel was always going to be a tough nut to crack, but Joe Wright and Christopher Hampton delivered a modern classic of a tragic tale.
The post Atonement appeared first on Steven Benedict.

This 1939 children's classic, starring Judy Garland is one of Hollywood’s most enduring pictures. But is there more to it than a pair of ruby slippers?
The post The Wizard of Oz appeared first on Steven Benedict.

When is a remake not a remake? When is it a re-imagining and not a reboot? And most pertinent of all, when are any of them ever any good?
The post Remakes or Mistakes? appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Insider was nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Screenplay, but came away empty handed. Surely questions need to be asked.
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Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas built his own cinema empire. But American Graffiti, made in his hometown is his masterpiece.
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When it comes to history, we are told that Hollywood always make mistakes. But could it be that it's the historians who get it wrong?
The post Hollywood’s History Lesson appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The students of Welton College carried their English teacher around the yard, shoulder high. Is this a fair reflection of school, or is it another Hollywood fantasy?
The post Dead Poets Society appeared first on Steven Benedict.

"Here's looking at you, kid." Casablanca has more quotable lines than any other movie, but it's the visual design that gives the film its thematic resonance.
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When it comes to cinema, many people consider black & white as old. Yet the same people also consider it beautiful. Surely black & white is more than that?
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Based on a 1971 best-selling novel that was inspired by a real-life case of demonic possession said to have occurred in 1949, is this really the scariest film ever made?
The post The Exorcist appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Even before it was released, people wondered what The Matrix was about. So crammed with ideas, are you not better off asking what it is not about?
The post The Matrix appeared first on Steven Benedict.

There is more to James Bond than dry martinis, guns, gadgets and girls. His biggest contribution to cinema is the Set-Piece.
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By no means the first teen-drama, The Breakfast Club is not just a landmark film for teenagers. It's essential viewing for adults and teachers as well.
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Jane Austen's readers are known for zealously protecting their idol's novels from filmmakers. But does their pride prejudice or benefit the adaptations?
The post Jane Austen in Film appeared first on Steven Benedict.

With 4 Oscars and over $548m at the box-office, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid remains the most popular western ever made.
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Surrealism was an art movement that originally set out to shock. So how has it become such a normal element in Hollywood cinema? Has it lost its original power?
The post Surrealism in Cinema appeared first on Steven Benedict.

How did this film, adapted from Annie Proulx's acclaimed short story and initially categorized as 'the gay cowboy' movie, go on to gross over $180m worldwide?
The post Brokeback Mountain appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The Graduate has long been regarded only in terms of Benjamin Braddock’s affair with Mrs. Robinson. But what does it tell us about Elaine Robinson?
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Brazil is Terry Gilliam's masterpiece. But when he first showed it to the studio, they didn't know what to make of it. So they decided not to release it.
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Originally intended to run at four and a half hours, Sergio Leone's gangster epic suffered greatly at the hands of its distributors.
The post Once Upon a Time in America appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Does anyone need an excuse like an anniversary to sit down and watch North by Northwest? Not only is it one of Hitchcock's best, it was also his ode to himself.
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Alfred Hitchcock was not the only person who could adapt Daphne Du Maurier's work to the screen. In fact, you could argue Nicolas Roeg did it best.
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